Senior Colby Newsham will play in the league all-star game. (Photos by Daniel Shrives)
After defeating Northbridge 3-1 earlier in the week in the first round of league competition, the Bromfield varsity field hockey team ended its district playoff with a defeat at the hands of Auburn in a quarter-final match on Friday, Oct. 31.
Bromfield’s game against Northbridge had an unusual start for the Trojans. After maintaining pressure on Bromfield’s defensive end for just over 15 minutes, the Northbridge Rams scored the first goal of the game. However, in what Coach Sue Silver described as a “kick in the butt,” the Trojans battled back, scoring three goals of their own and securing the 3-1 final score by halftime.
Goalkeeper Morgan a team force
Bromfield’s senior goalkeeper, Moira Morgan, made three incredible saves for her team. As one shot came flying down the field, Morgan came out and kicked the ball wide to her teammate. Morgan dived several times, blocking a game total of six shots. However, Northbridge capitalized on Morgan’s difficulty in standing up after a dive and scored their lone goal.
Morgan proved a dominant force on the team this season, with a total of 11 shutouts. She was selected by the coaches in the division to play in the league all-star game. Other selected Bromfield players are seniors Kathryn Hodskins, Aliza Maki, and Colby Newsham, and junior Lily Moore-Eissenberg.
Senior Aliza Maki ends the season with 23 goals, the highest scored by a Bromfield field hockey player.
The first Bromfield goal was scored by junior Suzy Opalka, who shot from the right side of the circle diagonally to the lower left corner of the net. Senior Colby Newsham scored the following goal, tackling the ball in the defensive end and weaving her way down the field and into the circle. She dodged the Northbridge goalkeeper, Casey Roche, and scored.
Bromfield’s final goal of the game was scored by senior Aliza Maki. Receiving a pass from junior Maddie Ragno, Maki deflected the ball into the backboard, and the 3-1 victory propelled Bromfield on to the quarter finals against Auburn.
Maki ended the season with 23 goals, the highest scored by a Bromfield field hockey player.
Auburn takes quarter final
In their quarter-final match against Auburn last Friday, the Bromfield players sported Halloween-themed hair ribbons on a windy and chilly afternoon. As in the Northbridge game, both teams scored in the first half and fought for possession in a second-half tug of war in which neither team was able to score. Auburn scored first. Then, in a burst of offensive power, Ragno scored Bromfield’s only goal and put her team on the scoreboard. Auburn matched Bromfield’s offensive play, however, and pushed ahead of the Trojans with a second goal before the half ended.
Both teams made numerous shots on net and had many penalty corners, but both successfully fended off the other’s attempts at scoring. One of Auburn’s defenders made two incredible stops for her team, preventing two potential Bromfield goals that would have won the day.
Both teams also made goals that didn’t count because they were shot outside the circle. Bromfield’s revoked goal came from junior Courtney Stoltzfus.
With a final score of 2-1, the Trojans finished their season with a record of 15-2-2.
Julia Hoggins and Casey Russell are seniors at the Bromfield School. Russell is a member of the varsity field hockey team.
